


It's Raining Gods (Hallelujah)

by Cyane (orphan_account)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Chapters will get longer hopefully, F/M, Gen, I'll try to get an updating schedule, Implied/Referenced Torture, Loki Needs a Hug, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, No Sex, Not Beta Read, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Slash, Science Boyfriends, Side Story, Slow Burn, Team as Family, Tony Has Issues, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2018-11-13 22:01:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11194320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Cyane
Summary: Loki tumbles out of the sky. Natasha and Steve don't know what to do with him.Meanwhile, Bruce has been missing since Sokovia, and with Tony's sudden disappearance, people are starting to suspect the worst.On hiatus!





	1. Sokovian Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony does his best to handle the press, Steve and Natasha deal with civilian life, and Steve meets a familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember this is an AU. Make sure to read the tags. Disclaimer. EXTENDED CHAPTER SUMMARY IN END NOTES.
> 
> Main fic plot lines:  
> \- Loki, Steve, and Natasha (gen.)  
> \- Tony and Bruce (m/m)
> 
> Enjoy chapter one!

"Can you elaborate on that, Mr. Stark? How in God's name have the Avengers helped anyone? During Ultron's attack on Sokovia-"

"The Avengers _are_ helping people," Tony interrupted firmly. Camera lights flashed. "I'm not saying Sokovia wasn't as bad as it was- Sokovia never had a fail-safe, and it was a tragedy, what happened. I will remind you that _I_ , not the Avengers, created Ultron and I alone will remain responsible for what happened there. The only thing the Avengers did in Sokovia was contain the damage to the best of their ability."

When he paused his speech, at least a dozen other reporters rushed forward, microphones, recorders, cameras, and notebooks in hand.

"What about the battle of New York, Mr. Stark?"

"Mr. Stark, what happened to the CEO of Stark Industries, Virgina Potts? Is it true that she is now in an affair with your ex-security guard, Mr. Hogan?"

One voice rang above the others. It was the same blond reporter who had asked the last question. Tony thought he was probably an intern. 

"Didn't Bruce Banner, AKA the Hulk, aid you in building Ultron? He hasn't been seen since the fall of Sokovia, and General Ross has ordered a-"

Once again, Tony interrupted, although this time he did so _vehemently_ , eyes blazing. "Bruce Banner fought to save Sokovia just as the other Avengers did. If anything, he- _and the Hulk_ \- are heroes. No more questions."

The last statement caused the crowd of paparazzi to go into panic, but Tony ignored it and vanished behind the curtains. He loathed giving public statements, but it was necessary to get the public to trust the Avengers again.

Everyone was on edge after Sokovia. Besides, Tony couldn't have _anyone_ thinking of Bruce as a monster.

Tony let the public-image façade fall away once the curtain shut behind him.

"Nice job."

Tony jumped around in surprise at the voice. Steve Rogers was leaning against a table in the back, hands in his pockets.

Tony gave a breathy laugh and then shook his head. "Ah. It was nothing, seriously. Thanks for comin', anyhow... the press really pushes for answers these days."

Steve fell into step beside Tony as they walked out. "It wasn't 'nothing', Tony. Really, I appreciate you doing this. Heaven knows none of the rest of us could handle the media. They need to see that they can trust us, and because of you, they're starting to. You're taking care of the public, the funds, the damage... Ross."

The billionaire shifted uncomfortably under the praise. He had never been good at taking genuine compliments. So he forced another smile and awkwardly clapped Steve on the back. 

"Don't mention it, Cap. Just doing my part to clean up this shit show. Ross deserves what's coming."

Things had been hectic since Sokovia.

Bruce Banner had vanished into thin air with the jet, meaning that the whole world was on a frantic search for the Hulk. Especially after Ross made a public show of describing how monstrous he was.

Nobody could be exactly sure where Clint stood. He hadn't quite 'retired'.

If Steve had to guess why Clint was still involved, he'd say the archer hadn't been the same after the deaths of Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, both of whom had died to save him in Sokovia.

Thor had been missing since he left for Asgard. Steve remained 'salty' about being left in the dark on that situation. (Steve still wasn't sure what Tony meant by calling him 'salty'.)

Vision and Rhodey were jumping around the country, trying to complete legal work with the Avengers, SHIELD, and the military. It was mostly hush-hush, but Tony kept in touch.

And Steve and Natasha? Well... Steve and Nat were just there for the ride. They'd bunked down at Barton's farm for the time being, while the press recovered. 

Things had certainly taken their toll. The team was scattered.

 

\---

 

"How did public statements go?" Natasha asked without looking away from her book.

Steve glanced towards her. They'd been lingering around Barton's barn if they weren't tagging-along with Tony to cover business or checking for signs of Bruce.

Steve felt like he was overstepping with every new day he stayed. Even if Laura was too polite to ask them to leave, he knew that she didn't like being involved in Avengers business. 

"Fine. Good. Tony took care of everything."

Natasha raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were a better liar, Rogers."

Steve huffed out a laugh. "I'm being serious, Nat. Of course it was messy, but Stark- he's actually... he's actually doing a good job. We shouldn't've underestimated him."

"Yeah, yeah." Natasha teased, although her tone had softened.

They sat in silence for a second and Steve took another sip of the coffee. They were sitting in the kitchen, the sun low in the sky. Laura and Clint were outside with the kids, giving them archery lessons.

And the picket fence, and the tiled roof, and the children's drawings hung on the walls. And the dinner heating in the oven and the flowery tablecloth and the creak of old, loved wood floors.

It was a life Steve had always thought he'd wanted. But after the ice, it just didn't feel right. 

War changed people- and not just the war against Hitler or Redskull- but the war against HYDRA and the war against the Chitauri and the war against the people that would always be around. 

Domestic life- family life- wasn't for Steve Rogers. Not anymore. 

But it was still nice, holding the coffee mug with a stylized drawing of Hawkeye on it. It almost reminded him of when the original Avengers lived together in Stark Tower.

Back when they had been forced to live together, distrustful of every move another made- or well, at least before they built trust. And then it turned into spaghetti nights and movie nights and shawarma. Sparring. _Friendship_. A semblance of trust. Of family.

It was a nice mug.

"How are you holding up?" Natasha asked, finally turning away from her Agatha Christie book. 

Steve met her gaze. "I'm fine. A bit of cabin fever. You?"

"Little bored," Natasha murmured with a smirk. Steve let out a chuckle. "But I guess I'll get over it."

The front door swung open with a squeal and several kids came bounding in with tiny bows and quivers. Scuffed elbows and blistered hands and all. 

Clint and Laura followed, smiling tiredly. Laura's smile strained when she caught glimpse of the two Avengers in her kitchen. Like she had just remembered that the superhero business wasn't over yet. 

"Miss me?" Clint quipped towards his teammates.

"Not you. Welcome back, Laura." Natasha responded evenly, standing up. "I'll go round up the rascals for dinner."

 

\---

Steve didn't know how much more of this any of them could take. 

It was only a matter of time before another crazy monster crawled out of a sewer drain, and when that happened, the only available Avengers were Steve and Nat. Maybe Clint, if he and Laura worked something out. 

It's not that Steve _wanted_ another fight, another mission- he was just getting antsy knowing that the longer they did nothing, the less time they had until something did happen.

And make no mistake; he and Nat _weren't_ doing anything. Not anything productive, anyways.

They woke up, they ate a pleasant breakfast with the Barton family... they made themselves scarce. Until the public recovered from the mess of Sokovia, it wasn't the best idea for them to leave he safe house. 

Since Laura didn't exactly have a Stark-gym that wouldn't break under his fists, or punching bags that wouldn't tear, the limit of training was pretty narrow.

Chop wood.

Go on runs.

Spar with Natasha.

Steve was pretty sure that he'd chopped enough wood to last Clint another ten years. And Natasha was out playing with Nathaniel. 

So run it was. 

 

The outdoors were beautiful in the evening. Steve tried to go on a walk or a run every night after dinner. It helped clear his head. 

Plus, if he ran up the farthest hill, it gave him the best view of the setting sun. 

The wide expanse of a meadow covered in starlight, framed with mountains on either end. Clouds only rose in the border of the picture, with stars forming in the highest parts of the sky. Navy turned periwinkle turned crimson turned Amber turned lemon, the colors flooded the sky like watercolors.

The meadow was full of dandelions that had just become clumps of fluffy white seeds, so when the warm Summer breeze picked up... 

Steve thought it looked a bit like magic. 

He came up there every night with his sketchbook and his pastels and placed the same scene in the book. Each page was the same setting, only slightly different as the seasons changed. 

Once the book was complete, he'd have a whole year of that dandelion meadow.

Steve slowly shut his sketchbook. The pastel drawing he had just completed was different from the rest. There was no dazzling sunset, no waft of dandelion dust. There was only a hollow, cold wind. Dark clouds muffled the sun. The picture he had drawn was dark and bleak.

It was cloudy.

It looked like it was going to rain.

"What am I doing?" Steve whispered to himself. 

With a final sigh, he put the book back in his bag and started the long path back to the house. If he was lucky, he could sneak in without waking any of the smaller children up. 

But just as Steve turned to go back, a blinding strip of light cut through the clouds, illuminating the field of dying dandelions. He swung around to see lightning rip across the landscape. When the resonating growl of thunder followed, the rain started. 

_'Fantastic,'_ Steve thought dryly, letting huge rain droplets mingle with sweat on his face.

Before Steve could tear his eyes away from the meadow one last time, something caught his eye.

A black shape fell through the barrier of clouds. At first Steve thought it was a bird of some sort, but then it kept falling... and falling...

Steve's jaw went loose as his eyes followed the figure. _Down, down, down._ For a moment, he thought it looked distinctly human-shaped, but the thought flew out of his head the moment the body slammed into the ground. In the meadow. 

Steve winced when it hit the ground. Thud.

Dirt flew into the air where the thing had fallen.

"Hello?" Steve yelled. There was no way that a human could've survived that landing. He started running down the hill anyways, towards the huge crater. If anything, he'd get upset because now he'd have to draw the meadow with a giant hole in it.

After another minute of scrambling down the hill, Steve came up to the figure.

A cold gnawing feeling started eating away at his stomach. 

It _was_ a person, and they were alive. Shaking violently, nearly vibrating. They had huddled into themselves in a defensive position. 

The man was gasping on ugly retching and half-formed sobs.

"Son of a gun," Steve mumbled. He had a sinking feeling that it wasn't just rain coating them, but blood.

"Hey. Hey- are you..." He trailed off when another streak of light shot through the sky and illuminated the man's face.

Steve's voice cut off and for a second, his vision blurred to a dark, fuzzy orange and he was sure he was about to pass out. 

Under layers of dirt and filth and blood and grime, matted, snarly hair, and a pale gauntness- 

Steve lifted one hand up to his mouth to keep himself from vomiting at the coppery reek of blood.

But there was no denying it.

It was Loki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (SPOILERS) Chapter Summary:  
> Tony defends the Avengers and Bruce Banner in front of paparazzi. The team is very, very scattered. Steve and Natasha don't know what to do with themselves at Clint's home. Steve is drawing away from the safehouse and sees a severely-injured Loki fall out of the sky. 
> 
> -
> 
> Yes, you heard that right. There is m/m! Bruce/Tony will be a thing. Make sure to read notes and tags!
> 
> **Validation is great. If you enjoyed, please drop by kudos and/or a comment! It's _very_ appreciated. If I know people like it, I'll try to write more sooner.


	2. Weather Forecast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve ties Loki up, hides it from Natasha, and promptly regrets having hidden it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to read tags. EXTENDED CHAPTER SUMMARY IN END NOTES.
> 
> -
> 
> weather forecast: cloudy with a chance of PTSD-addled gods falling from the sky

Steve had no idea what to do. 

On one hand, it was Loki. 'Killed-eighty-people-in-two-days' Loki. Mass murderer. Tried to kill Thor. And Tony. And everyone in New York. Loki had brainwashed Clint and messed him up for life. Loki had terrorized citizens for the sole reason of fear. 

...On the other hand, Loki looked like _that_.

Steve couldn't tear his eyes away from Loki's form. The sharp, icy eyes Steve remembered were now a dull, unseeing green. Maybe it was because he wasn't wearing the outfit. Layers of leather had been stripped away, leaving Loki in threadbare linen trousers. Instead of silver embroidery, Steve saw every notch of his spine. 

Mud, dried blood, and scars smeared over every inch of the sallow, pale skin. 

Maybe Steve should've been thinking about the proud God who loomed over dead bodies. But looking at the man in front of him... Steve only felt shock. He rubbed his hand over his face and took a shuddering breath. 

"Oh, God..." Steve managed to gasp out. Words flew into his head but got stuck to the roof of his mouth. _'What the hell happened to him?'_

Another clap of thunder shook the skies. Steve swallowed thickly, trying to breathe properly and gather himself together. After another second of staring, Steve realized vaguely that Loki was mouthing something. 

"No- no, no, no, no-" His mouth repeated the same motion again and again, even though Steve was positive Loki wasn't making any sound. 

Steve shook his head. "...Loki?"

The god's mouth snapped shut and Loki's thin frame stiffened painfully. If anything, the god seemed to curl even further into himself. Steve shivered as the cold rain seeped down his back. 

_'You think you're cold? Imagine how he feels, he's-'_

"Loki?" Steve asked again, more firmly this time. He thought back to the panic attacks Clint went through, every night after Loki got into his head. He thought about Coulson. Tony shooting up into that wormhole, sounding like he was expecting nothing less. Everyone's terror. 

Loki was a murderer. Steve narrowed his eyes in concentration. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.

He saw Coulson's Captain America trading cards that he had never signed, spattered in the man's blood. 

Steve leaned over Loki and rolled the man onto his back. 

He saw Natasha, flinching back from Loki's words. Faking it or not, he knew her past had gotten to her.

Steve reached out-

And he saw Loki.

Then and there. Bleeding, cracked lips. Bashed up, bruised and bloodied face. Scars and slices and all the signs of torture. Loki who was looking up at him, dazed. 

"God damn it," Steve muttered. He couldn't kill the man in front of him- not like that.

He glanced towards his bag. He was pretty sure he had extra corded rope for climbing...

 

\---

 

Natasha Romanov was used to waiting.

She had no shortage of patience. A sort of 'outlast' type of patience that came from a life of tireless, limitless training. 

She also knew that Steve Rogers was a very impatient person. He got twitchy when he wasn't doing something. Not physically, of course- he didn't have Tony's twitchy fingers or Clint's leg-bounce. 

But she knew Steve had been absolutely _dying_ for the last weeks. Weeks of nothing, the most mundane of mundane schedules. 

It wasn't as if Natasha liked it any better- staying at the Barton's home, that was- but she could keep doing it for years if she needed to.

Over the last weeks, she'd watched Steve grow more and more unsettled. They'd sparred twice a day, just to keep busy. He'd chopped enough firewood to last Laura a lifetime, and painted enough pictures in that damn sketchbook to last another.

"Rogers back from his run yet?" Clint asked from the doorframe, peeking into her room.

"No. You know Steve; he'd run straight to SHIELD headquarters if he could."

Clint smirked. He looked exhausted. "Eh. It wouldn't surprise me. I'll leave the front door unlocked for him, anyway. Oh, and- um- thanks for taking care of Nathaniel earlier. I'll see you tomorrow, Nat."

Natasha smiled. "Get some sleep, Clint."

Clint shot her a playful look before walking back out into the hallway. Once he was out of sight, Natasha let her smile fall. 

Her room was nice. A bookshelf covered with intelligent novels, books she and Laura obsessed over. On the nightstand was an off-white lamp with a dusty floral shade. Clint called it hideous, Laura called it 'useable'. 

It was the same room she'd always bunked down in when she visited. Laura always kept exactly five hangers in the wardrobe and the woven rug in front of the bed, not the door. Those little details that helped Nat relax.

Sometimes she was jealous of Clint's family. Something she could never have.

Then she remembered that nobody else on the team could have it, either. Thor had overwhelming responsibilities, Steve was a new man, Bruce physically couldn't, Tony would always have the public eye on him. Well, that, and Natasha had heard that Pepper left.

Besides, it wasn't as if Clint had it easy. He had a foot in two different worlds and he'd always had to make he tough calls. 

Natasha wasn't sure she would even want a life like that. Safe... but no place for an assassin. She could never settle down for good. And it wasn't like she could have kids, anyway. 

She leaned back on the mattress. 

The alarm clock on the nightstand read 11:51PM. 

Natasha squinted at it, contemplating. Steve was usually back by half-past. It wasn't like him to be late. 

"Huh." She wondered aloud. 

It was either fall into nightmares or wait up for Rogers to return. At least if she stayed up she'd be able to make sure he was alright.

Natasha waited another ten minutes before sitting herself back up and wandering down to a darkened kitchen.

\---

 

Steve got back after midnight. He assumed that everyone would already be asleep, since they usually were when he came back at eleven-thirty.

It was for the best.

Honestly, Steve wasn't sure he wanted to tell any of them that Loki was back. Especially not Clint.

Steve took a deep breath right before he opened the door. It let out a traitorous squeal and Steve cringed, hurrying into the dark kitchen and locking the front door behind him. 

He turned around, and-

There was Natasha, sitting on one of the woven seats, staring at him. 

Complete silence filled the room for a couple of minutes before Steve slumped and sat down next to her. The game was up. 

"You're late, Rogers," She stated the obvious. 

Steve made a frustrated noise. Natasha noted the mud caked into his pants, the dirt and grime over his hands... what had he been doing?

Natasha held his gaze. "You're nearly two hours late, Steve. I'm assuming it's not a good thing."

Steve sighed. His hands fidgeted at his side, pulling at a loose thread on his pants. Natasha knew all the little movements, the body language that gave it all away. 

"Like ripping off a band-aid," Natasha insisted quietly. Even so, she wrapped her robe a little tighter around herself. She mentally prepared herself for any level of shock, horror, anything that could throw her off. The longer Steve hesitated to tell her, the more wary she grew. How bad could it be?

They held eye contact for a moment more. Steve inhaled and opened his mouth to speak, and for a second, Natasha was sure he was going to tell her anything. But then he deflated and shook his head. Steve's eyes lost their spark and she knew he had closed down.

"Just needed a bit more fresh air, that's all."

She hummed in response. "Hm. Get some rest, Rogers."

They both wandered back upstairs to their separate guest rooms. Steve felt Natasha's eyes digging into the back of his head as he walked. They both knew that Steve was hiding something. Steve knew that Nat knew that he knew something. 

Nat knew that Steve knew that she knew he knew something. 

Then Steve ducked into his room with a mumbled 'goodnight' and hurried to shut the door. The moment passed. 

Natasha paused for another moment before going to her own room. She knew something was up, she just had to find out. If it was important, she needed to be able to assess the situation. Besides, Fury would be asking for a briefing soon. 

 

\---

 

"Good morning, Steve. Sleep okay?" 

Steve looked up to where Laura was making breakfast. He gave her a tight, polite smile. "Yes, Mrs. Barton. Thank you, again, for letting us stay with you. I know it can't be easy, and we really appreciate it."

She laughed a little. "Oh, call me Laura. 'Mrs. Barton' makes me feel old."

"Right." Steve responded, shifting his weight. 

"It's no trouble," Laura continued, turning back to the stove. "Whatever I can do to help. Would you like some breakfast? There's plenty for everyone."

Steve adjusted the bag he had slung around his shoulder. "Ah, no thank you. I wanted to go out hiking today."

The other woman shot him an amused look. "Steve, if you're going hiking that's even more reason to eat." She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to retort. "I'm not going to make you stay, no worries. But take some of this along with you, huh?" She jostled around in the fridge before pulling out a water bottle, trail mix, jerky, and granola bars. Laura offered it towards him, and he took it gratefully. 

"Thank you," Steve said honestly, putting the food into his bag. "I'd best be off, then. Have a good morning, Mrs. Bar- er- _Laura_."

Laura gave him a smile and a nod and turned back to the stove. Steve hurried out the door and began jogging towards the hill in the distance. He didn't notice the redheaded figure taking off after him and following from a distance.

Maybe it hadn't been his best move. The previous night, he hadn't had a clue on what to do with Loki. After deciding not to kill the god- at least, not before figuring out what the hell was going on- Steve had tied him up and pulled him into the nearby overhang, where the highest point of the hill hung over the bottom and formed a cave. 

So Steve had tied Loki up in a cave. 

What else was he supposed to do?

When Steve reached the base of the hill, where the cave-type-thing was located, his heart stopped momentarily because _where the hell was Loki?!_ And then as he came further inside, he saw the familiar dusty, filthy trousers Loki had worn. 

Loki looked like a corpse. Like someone who had died in the cave years before. 

"Shit," Steve breathed out. 

Maybe it would've been better if Loki _had_ disappeared. Steve would rather have had the objective of finding the god. He had no idea how to deal with a captured Loki, much less one that looked like... that.

"Loki?" He called out hesitantly. 

The darkened figure at the back of the cave tensed, but didn't respond. 

Steve took a few steps closer. Loki was curled in on himself, lying on his side, with his back turned towards the mouth of the cave. Despite not being able to see his face, Steve could clearly see the corded ropes that tied Loki's wrists and ankles together. 

"Loki," Steve tried again, praying for some sort of reaction. 

There was the definite sound of a gun clicking behind them and Steve jerked around. Natasha was standing in the entrance to the cavern, hands carefully aiming a gun in Loki's direction. She was braced in a defensive position, and her eyes were wide and sharp, but her face was emotionless.

Steve felt his throat constrict and he took another step backwards, towards the back of the cave, slowly raising his hands up. "Nat..." Steve trailed off, unsure of how to proceed. 

"Explain, Rogers," Natasha said mildly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (SPOILERS) Chapter Summary: Steve ties Loki up in a cave. When Steve returns to the farm, late into the night, Natasha is waiting for him. He doesn't tell her about Loki, but she knows something is wrong. That morning, Steve goes out to figure out what to do with Loki. Natasha follows him and shows up, aiming a gun at Loki and demanding an explanation. 
> 
> -
> 
> does this make sense oh my god
> 
> **Validation is great. If you enjoyed, please drop by kudos and/or a comment! It's very appreciated. If I know people like it, I'll try to write more sooner.


	3. Friends Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Natasha figure out their next move, Clint is left in the dark, and Tony is invited to the party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Make sure to read tags. EXTENDED CHAPTER SUMMARY IN END NOTES.
> 
> -
> 
> Sorry for the lack of updates, I've been working through camp NaNoWriMo since July first. Thank you all so much for positive responses and all the amazing comments! I promise it'll get better when the plot kicks up. :>>

"Nat, put the gun down."

Natasha didn't waver. "It's not being aimed at you," she said. The gun was carefully pointed down at the body lying towards the back of the cave. "I'll need an explanation."

Steve wasn't sure why he wasn't letting Natasha just kill Loki. 

"That's- that's Loki, right there," Steve began, pointing towards the shivering body behind him. "Yesterday he fell out of the sky. I swear, I'm just as confused as you."

"So what?" Natasha kept her finger on the trigger. "You didn't tell any of us- you _lied_ to me about it- you didn't kill him, you just tied him up and left him in a cave? Were you ever going to tell us?"

Steve groaned, lowering his hands. He knew that while Natasha might be angry, that wasn't her expression when she was about to kill anyone. Natasha was too strategetical to kill Loki without having all the information she could.

"I didn't know who to tell," Steve replied honestly. 

Natasha nodded and finally dropped the gun, keeping her eyes fixated on Loki. "You're talking about Clint. Right?"

They both shared a look. Loki had screwed Clint up pretty bad. Laura spoke of nightmares and flashbacks, and the whole team had seen his pure rage when he had come out of it. Clint would destroy Loki if he found out.

And Clint... Clint wouldn't get any better either. 

"Right."

"This is a delicate situation." Natasha agreed, walking towards Loki. She nudged him with her boot. He tensed. When she came all the way around, and saw his face-  
Steve saw her face tighten. The imperceptible widening of her eyes. 

Something changed when she saw his face. Her expression was still hard, but she slid the gun into her holster and relaxed.

"Did you do that to him?" 

Steve nearly choked. "Me? No- of course not, Nat. Look at him, if he wasn't a god, he wouldn't be alive! I swear, I saw him fall out of the sky like that."

Natasha hummed thoughtfully.

"Okay," she finally breathed out. The assassin took a few steps, invading Steve's personal space, and shoved her forehead next to his.

"Nat?" 

"Checking your pupils. Loki's mind control."

"Right."

"Hard to believe he's not mind controlling you, with those pretty blue eyes of yours," Natasha teased lightly, trying to diffuse some of the tension once she realized Steve was clear.

When they were both sure that the other wasn't being coerced, they sat down on the nearby boulder and watched Loki. He certainly didn't seem like a threat. 

"Just because he looks like that... it might not be the best plan of action to keep him alive, Rogers." Steve grimaced and nodded.

"I know. God- I know. But we should find out what happened to him. Or _who_. They're either better or worse, and if they're worse, we've got a bigger problem on our hands."

There was always something else. 

"Right," Natasha agreed. "So let's get some answers, shall we?"

She stood up and rolled Loki over onto his back with one boot. Steve didn't miss the slight tightening of her facial muscles as she took in the god's battered face. No matter what Loki had done, there was always a line. Steve hated killing in general, but those who were victims in their own way?

Frankly, it reminded him too much of Bucky. 

Loki's eyelids fluttered slightly, although his eyes still rolled around, not quite taking in what he was seeing. 

"Dammit," Natasha muttered, raking her gaze over Loki's torso. "If we want answers, we're going to have to clean him up. As in... full package. You didn't happen to bring saline and an IV drip or gauze, did you?"

Steve huffed out a laugh. "No. Must've forgotten that. I've got trail mix."

Natasha didn't smile back. "I'm being serious. I can't believe I'm being serious... but he needs serious medical attention. Concussion, obviously contusions... what the hell?"

"What?" Steve peered at Loki from behind Natasha's shoulder. 

She gestured towards his ankle. "He'd been cuffed." Steve looked closer and- yeah. There was a thick, scratched up ring around Loki's ankle, sending obvious signs of previous chains. Steve hadn't noticed it when he had tied Loki's ankles together in the dark.

"Asgardian prison?" Steve guessed. 

Natasha ran her hand along the ring, wiping dirt off from it. Carved into the pale skin, there were several lines of etched, scarred symbols. At the shifting movement, the god made a tiny noise of protest, struggling weakly against the ropes. Steve frowned at the scars.

"Some other language?" He suggested. "Probably Asgardian or something." Still, Steve felt bile threaten to come up. The scars were thick and had probably been painful. 

Natasha took a deep breath through her nose and leaned back. "Okay. Okay. It's Loki. I see why you wouldn't want to tell Clint, though. I don't necessarily agree with keeping this a secret from him-- but he's getting better, he's _recovering_ , and he's trying to retire... let's just try to sort this out without involving him." 

Clint had gone through serious problems after the mind control. All of them were messed up, but Loki had basically raped Clint's mind, and it was no surprise when the nightmares came, or the flashbacks, or the hallucinations. But, like all things, eventually, they had started to go away. Steve had seen Clint relax when he was back with Laura and their kids, he'd seen him happy. 

"Right," Steve agreed. "But getting Loki medical help isn't going to be easy, Romanov. I doubt Clint has what we need, and it'll be hard to go on a 'hike' with an IV line. They'll get suspicious."

Natasha gnawed on the inside of her cheek. "No, it won't be easy. That's why we get Stark's help."

"Tony? He's busy. Like, constantly busy. Non-stop, all the time, press conferences, meetings, board discussions, building, repairing-- besides, he's in _New York_ , and there's no way-"

"Listen, Rogers," Natasha said quietly, eyes not moving from Loki's body. "We want answers? We need Loki to talk. We need him to talk? We need him to get a little bit better. I'm not saying we let him take a vacation to Hawaii, I'm saying we get him suited up for interrogation. In order to heal him, we need certain supplies. If we don't want Clint or Laura to find out about this little... problem, we need someone else's help. Last time I checked, Tony was the only option. We call, tell him we need him to drop by."

There it was again.

Steve and Tony had definitely had their share of ups and downs. Slowly, Tony had become more civil and open with Steve, and Steve had realized that his first impression of Tony Stark was beyond wrong. In fact, at this point, Steve would even consider Tony somewhat of a good friend. 

So calling Tony in on the pretense of a friendly visit, all while dragging him away from what he was doing to _help_ the Avengers, only to have another request... Steve hated asking for requests from anyone, especially Stark, who had so much on his plate already. Steve had seen him after a press conference. 

On the other hand, Loki was lying in front of them. And this was bigger than any of them.

With a frustrated groan, Steve nodded. "Alright." 

 

\---

 

Natasha was not okay with leaving Loki to himself. 

It didn't matter if his wrists and ankles were bound, it didn't matter if he was bruised and battered and in a cave, it didn't matter if Loki was showing serious signs of PTSD and internal injuries, or if that mark around his ankle definitely had something to do with it. She honestly didn't care.

Loki had escaped SHIELD maximum security with minimal difficulty. So leaving him unattended in a cave just didn't sit right.

Natasha was also not okay with lying to Clint about the matter. But there was nothing else to be done about it. As far as she was concerned, telling Clint would just complicate things. Although Clint was recovering, he was nowhere near whole again. If Loki was found alive _again_ , that close to his family home, Natasha knew that Clint would lose it. Because she knew how he thought.

Clint would panic, he wouldn't think Laura and his kids were safe; so he'd move the entire placement. He'd march over to Loki and torture him, and then kill him without hesitation. 

Honestly, Natasha knew she was too curious for her own good.

Especially in this instance. But the fact that Loki hadn't yet escaped, when he'd every chance to? It was too similar to the Helicarrier accident. Thor was in Asgard. Loki was on Earth. It should've been vice versa, and yet.

The worst part was walking back to the Barton farm afterwards.

"We're back!" Steve called, far too loudly as they walked in. Natasha saw through the façade of calm he was wearing. He wasn't a good liar. 

"How's Nathaniel doing?" She asked instead. 

Laura swung around to see them enter. "Welcome back, you two. Clint's showering, the kids are drawing in kitchen. How was the hike?"

Inwardly groaning at Steve's very-obvious-fake smile, Natasha took over. "Beautiful. Location is perfect, really... hills like that, I haven't seen in a long time." Laura laughed a little at that, coming forward and leading them towards the dining room for dinner. 

"It's a great setup, what we have here," Laura admitted. "Gorgeous views, it's always quiet. Lately it's been a little rainy, but that just means we'll have a lot of snow, which the kids love. I'm sure Nathaniel will, anyway."

When she turned back to shuffle through the cupboards, Natasha and Steve shared a look.

 _Don't act suspicious._ Natasha mouthed.

 _I'm not!_ Steve shot back.

 _Yes, you are. Stop._ When Steve just shot her a look in response, Natasha forced a smile of her own. "I'm sure he will, Laura. Steve, we really should go on another hike tomorrow. I'm sure the rain will clear up then."

 

\---

 

Tony was exhausted. Ultron had been a fucking disaster. Afterwards, he'd done what he did best; cleaned up his own mess, blamed himself, protected the team. This was on him, plain and simple, and he knew it. Didn't matter what Rhodey insisted. Didn't matter how people said that it was a group effort.

Pepper left him, and he didn't blame her. At that point, it had been a matter of time.

So he'd gone at it alone. Clint, Nat, and Rogers had bunked down at the farm. Bruce was still AWOL. Rhodey and Vision were trying to sort out legal complications. Thor hadn't returned. It was just him against the public. No Happy, no Pepper, no Rhodey.

He could deal. He could always deal. 

It was actually a relief when he got a call to distract him from the shitstorm the media had been piling up about the Avengers. About _Bruce_.

"Steve Rogers is calling, boss."

No JARVIS. Tony sighed at the reminder. FRIDAY was another AI, another light of his life- but not JARVIS. JARVIS had been around since he had been a teenager. Just a kid. From the Butler to the AI, indestructible. Luckily, fixing up JARVIS's previous files was working. Slowly, but working. FRIDAY was a temporary-

"Boss?"

"Right. Um- what the hell, answer."

He went into the call and reflexively plastered the same grin across his face, although that was the last thing he felt. "Hey, Capsicle. Miss me already? It's been like, an hour. What'cha been up to?"

_"...It's been over two days, Tony."_

Shit. Tony felt the circles under his eyes deepen. 

"Right. Your point being? C'mon, what's up with the call, Cap?"

_"Uh- yeah. Look, you really don't have to, but I was hoping you could come by? Just a little stop by, at the farm. Catch up with me and Natasha, you know? Always good to have you around."_

Tony's mind went completely blank.

 _Me?_ His brain asked, stupidly.

There had to have been a complete minute of silence before Steve continued.

_"Like I said, up to you... just, you know? Tony?"_

It was pathetic, the stupid schoolkid hope that bloomed in his chest. Seriously. Tony was already kicking himself in the shins while he answered. "Oh! Yeah, 'course I could stop by. When? Like, couple more weeks? I've got this stupid fuckin' press-"

_"Tomorrow morning?"_

"What? Tommor-" Tony let out a confused, breathy laugh. "-Tomorrow? It's almost midnight, Rogers. I'm a ways away. I'll get there at six, _minimum_ , if I leave now-- which I can't, because I've got a conference. What's with the hurry?"

But Rogers sounded so goddamn desperate. _"Tomorrow. If you can make it by noon, Tony? Please?"_

Damn it.

Tony cursed the fact that he had a heart. Cursed the fact that _he_ was the desperate one- desperate to have a semblance of a family- and wasn't about to break the puppy-dog-eyed Captain America's heart.

It's not like he would've slept anyhow.

"Kay, I'll be there. Thank me later."

_"Oh- god- thank you. See you then. Oh, and I texted you a list of things? Make sure you bring them when you come."_

"Yeah, yeah. I'll check it in a minute. Later, Rogers."

Tony ended the call and leaned back to sit down. 

Rogers had caught him mid-nonstalgic road trip. He only had literal minutes before the next meeting, and he was trying to get all the sentimental shit out of the way before-

Before.

He picked up the box of photographs Bruce and he had collected while they'd worked together.

All those vintage photographs taken on the green Polaroid Tony had gotten Bruce as a birthday present. Good memories.

Working in the lab, hanging out, building things, making coffee, drinking tea- whatever. 

Just photographs of them.

Tony smiled fondly at the box. Then he remembered that Bruce was in Fiji or some shit, and the smile faded into a determined frown.

"Visit Barton and the rest of them, finish up the New York press conferences, check in with Rhodey," Tony listed off. "And then I'll be on my way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (SPOILERS) Chapter summary: Steve talks Natasha down quickly, and they agree that telling Clint would just make the situation more complicated. They decide to keep Loki a secret from Clint and Laura. They call Tony down to the barn in order to bring medical supplies. Meanwhile, Tony is exhausted from taking care of things and is planning something.
> 
> -
> 
> I have no idea if any of this is making sense so validation is great


	4. AN: (PLEASE READ)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance, all that. Read below, please!

Okay, it's pretty clear I've been avoiding this fic like the plague. I hate posting things in advance before I have the whole plot smoothed out because then I want to change something but to do that I'd have to re-write a previous chapter, and that isn't fair to you guys.

Instead of just sliding away and abandoning this fic-- and, don't get me wrong, I ABSOLUTELY ADORE the plans I have for this fic-- instead, I'm going to rewrite the entire thing. Essentially the same plot, I'll just be lengthening it, working out details, and planning.

So. 

Sorry if that bothers you. I'll be keeping a lot of the same ideas, and there will probably be some chapters that don't change much. I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait as well. This fic will still include some pretty shippy Bruce x Tony, but it'll be a side pairing and there will be no graphic sex whatsoever in this fic. I think there'll be some other minor pairings but I like to keep my works mostly gen so you can ship your OTPs as you would in the platonic canon. 

Anyway. I'll be off for a while, re-writing this. Still an AU. 

But it is NOT dead and I do want to continue writing what I think could be an epic fic! Thanks for sticking with me! <3

SORRY if you thought this was an update, but it's just a little note for future reference. By the way this was updated in april of 2018 and I plan on having it re-written and planned in the next month or so. Feel free to bookmark/mark for later if you want to keep tabs on it. :)


End file.
